INTRODUCING YOU - LYDIA McDOWELL
Breathwork wild nature woman.
Introducing… Lydia McDowell
Hi! I’m Lydia McDowell. I’m a yoga and breathwork teacher based in Portland, Oregon. My yoga story started 10 years ago when a friend dragged me to a hot yoga class to help with my tight runner's muscles. I loved the buckets of sweat the class brought on, but it was the newfound quiet in my mind that got me hooked.
I love moving my body in nature, whether that's backpacking, trail running, climbing, or skiing. Since that initial yoga class, the more time I spent on the mat, I noticed that my growing mind-body connection elevated my experience in all of my outdoor activities. Whether I’m holding chapasana, reaching for the next rock hold, or carving through fresh powder, I’ve learned that the common denominator in all of these states of flow and bliss is the breath. I incorporate a variety of breath techniques from running, pranayama, and modern breathwork in the classes I teach.
For as active as I like to be, you may be surprised that the style of yoga I like to teach is a slow, Hatha and Iyengar-style practice which I learned in my 200 hour training at YogaWorks. I think we gravitate toward the style of yoga we need most, and these days I retreat to my mat for restoration and decompression.
Lydia shares…
My favourite yoga practice
I love Iyengar because that’s where I learned to embrace props. I always have a couple blocks, a strap (or belt), a few pillows and a blanket for my own practice and I enjoy teaching with them to accommodate students of various levels, abilities, and body types. Ending class in a supported savasana with a pillow under your head and knees and relaxing the eyes under a favorite eye pillow (see below) is such a nice way to pamper and soothe yourself.
My favourite recommended yoga product
My friend Sam makes the sweetest weighted herbal eye pillows. The fabrics she uses are inspired by women pioneers of the American West and I can attest to the magic she personally seals into every stitch. You can find them at www.bluerosemercantile.com.
A tip for teaching in front of others
Focus on the process, rather than the outcome. Most likely, you became a yoga teacher out of passion, so keep coming back to that. Keep breathing life into it. Teaching becomes exciting when you recognize that you are here in the present moment doing what you love.
My favorite way to come together in lockdown
The pandemic has definitely given us the nudge to get more creative in where we gather. When the weather is warmer, this is a bit easier. Over the summer, I organized a weekly event called Bike and Breathe where a few breathwork teachers and I offered classes in our local city parks, a new location every weekend. We encouraged folks to ride their bikes there to get out and enjoy the sunshine. It was a great way to promote a free wellness tool to the local community and we got to meet and mingle with people just passing through the park.
My favorite way to close a practice
I teach a yoga class to a group of kids in an after-school program, and I like to tell them that namaste is part of the tradition of this exercise called yoga that we’re learning, which comes from India and is thousands of years old. At the end of class we put our hands together at our heart and give thanks to ourselves and each other for practicing together. We bow and say namaste - which means, “I see the best in you.”
And for us adults, sometimes we need to look at our beautiful eyes in the mirror and say “I see the best in you” too.
Where to find Lydia…
The best place to find our what Lydia is currently sharing, in the breathwork and yoga space, is by signing up to her weekly newsletter here.
You can expect resources, tools, guided meditations and musings from her own healing journey in an email that feels most like a letter to a friend.
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